Pigeons to be left to roost?

At the Town Development Committee meeting on Monday 28 January, Councillor Batchelor asked the Town Council to take the lead on dealing with the ongoing pigeon nuisance in the centre of town. He did not want to encroach on Wiltshire Council’s areas of responsibility regarding street cleaning, but felt more needed to be done to eradicate the problem such as using a contraceptive feed, or bringing in a hawk twice a week. Councillor March had obtained a quotation in the region of £5.5K for work involved in pigeon-proofing the Old Town Hall through the use of netting and bird wires, which would remove the health hazard from the build up of pigeon guano.
Councillor Humphries, as cabinet member of Wiltshire Council with responsibility for Public Health and Public Protection, had provided information that showed that under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 there would have to be a significant health impact on passers-by from the pigeon droppings, and expert advice from the consultant indicated the risk was low. Under the Public Health Act 1936 the onus would be on the owner of the building to remove any noxious matter if it builds up. This action has been taken in the past, but without any pigeon-proofing the matter builds up again. Clearing pigeons from one building tends to move the problem to another nearby. Given the similar architecture of the high buildings in the town centre, and their many ledges, there would need to be a concerted effort from all owners of affected buildings to pigeon-proof their properties. It would also be necessary to identify and remove the food sources, as these are the main reasons for the pigeon numbers in town.
Members agreed that the detritus from the pigeons seriously detracts from the attractiveness of the town centre, and had every sympathy with those who are trying to deal with the problem. However, as the buildings are all privately owned it is the responsibility of the owners to consider investing in pigeon-proofing, and it was suggested that Councillor Batchelor could act as the co-ordinator for the people involved. The Council could take no further action as it did not own the assets concerned, but it registered the fact that this issue is one of ongoing concern in the town.